Find the HSN code before the invoice goes out, not after.
Search by item name or code across the goods a manufacturing or engineering business actually buys and sells.
| HSN | Description | GST |
|---|---|---|
| 7208 | Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, hot-rolledIron & steel | 18% |
| 7209 | Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, cold-rolledIron & steel | 18% |
| 7210 | Flat-rolled iron or steel, clad, plated or coatedIron & steel | 18% |
| 7213 | Bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coilsIron & steel | 18% |
| 7214 | Other bars and rods of iron or non-alloy steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7216 | Angles, shapes and sections of iron or non-alloy steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7219 | Flat-rolled products of stainless steel, width 600 mm or moreIron & steel | 18% |
| 7222 | Other bars, rods, angles and sections of stainless steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7228 | Other bars and rods of other alloy steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7304 | Tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless, of iron or steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7306 | Other tubes and pipes of iron or steel (welded, riveted)Iron & steel | 18% |
| 7307 | Tube or pipe fittings of iron or steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7308 | Structures and parts of structures of iron or steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7318 | Screws, bolts, nuts, washers and similar articles of iron or steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7326 | Other articles of iron or steelIron & steel | 18% |
| 7601 | Unwrought aluminiumNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7606 | Aluminium plates, sheets and strip, over 0.2 mm thickNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7608 | Aluminium tubes and pipesNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7604 | Aluminium bars, rods and profilesNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7403 | Refined copper and copper alloys, unwroughtNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7407 | Copper bars, rods and profilesNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 7409 | Copper plates, sheets and strip, over 0.15 mm thickNon-ferrous | 18% |
| 8207 | Interchangeable tools for hand tools or machine toolsMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8413 | Pumps for liquids; liquid elevatorsMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8414 | Air or vacuum pumps, compressors and fansMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8419 | Machinery for treatment of materials by change of temperatureMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8421 | Centrifuges; filtering or purifying machineryMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8425 | Pulley tackle and hoists; winches and capstansMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8455 | Metal-rolling mills and rolls thereforMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8456 | Machine tools working by laser, ultrasonic or plasmaMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8457 | Machining centres, unit construction machines for metalMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8458 | Lathes for removing metalMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8459 | Machine tools for drilling, boring, milling or tapping metalMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8462 | Machine tools for forging, bending, folding, shearing metalMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8466 | Parts and accessories for machine toolsMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8482 | Ball or roller bearingsMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8483 | Transmission shafts, gears, gearboxes, clutches, pulleysMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8484 | Gaskets and similar joints; mechanical sealsMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8481 | Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliancesMachinery & tools | 18% |
| 8501 | Electric motors and generatorsElectrical | 18% |
| 8504 | Electrical transformers, static converters and inductorsElectrical | 18% |
| 8536 | Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting circuits (under 1000 V)Electrical | 18% |
| 8537 | Boards, panels and consoles for electric controlElectrical | 18% |
| 8544 | Insulated wire, cable and other insulated electric conductorsElectrical | 18% |
| 8532 | Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustableElectrical | 18% |
| 9026 | Instruments for measuring flow, level, pressure of liquids or gasesInstruments | 18% |
| 9027 | Instruments for physical or chemical analysisInstruments | 18% |
| 9031 | Measuring or checking instruments not specified elsewhereInstruments | 18% |
| 9032 | Automatic regulating or controlling instrumentsInstruments | 18% |
| 8311 | Wire, rods and electrodes for soldering, brazing or weldingConsumables | 18% |
| 2710 | Petroleum oils, other than crude (lubricants, cutting oil)Consumables | 18% |
| 3208 | Paints and varnishes in a non-aqueous mediumConsumables | 18% |
| 6805 | Natural or artificial abrasive powder on a baseConsumables | 18% |
| 6804 | Millstones, grindstones, grinding wheelsConsumables | 18% |
| 3919 | Self-adhesive plates, sheets and film of plasticsConsumables | 18% |
| 4819 | Cartons, boxes and cases of paper or paperboardPacking | 12% |
| 3923 | Articles for the conveyance or packing of goods, of plasticsPacking | 18% |
| 4415 | Packing cases, boxes, crates and pallets of woodPacking | 12% |
| 7311 | Containers for compressed or liquefied gas, of iron or steelPacking | 18% |
| 9988 | Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others (job work)Services (SAC) | 12% |
| 9987 | Maintenance, repair and installation servicesServices (SAC) | 18% |
| 9965 | Goods transport servicesServices (SAC) | 5% |
| 9983 | Other professional, technical and business servicesServices (SAC) | 18% |
63 of 63 shown · rates are the ones that commonly apply — confirm against the official schedule before this reaches an item master.
An HSN code is the number that tells everybody — you, your customer, and the department — what a thing is. It decides the GST rate, it has to appear on the invoice, and it has to match what your customer files against. Get it wrong and the invoice usually comes back, because their input credit is claimed against the code you wrote.
The official schedule is enormous and organised by chapter, which is useful if you already know roughly where to look and unhelpful if you do not. Most people end up searching a PDF for a word that does not appear in it, because the schedule calls a bolt a 'threaded article of iron or steel'.
This searches by the words a workshop actually uses. Type 'sheet', 'bearing', 'motor' or 'bolt' and it returns the codes and the rate that usually applies to them.
Four digits, six, or eight
HSN is hierarchical. The first two digits are the chapter, four narrow it to a heading, six to a sub-heading, and eight are India's own further split. How many you must quote depends on turnover: smaller businesses can use four, larger ones are expected to use six or eight. If you are unsure, more digits is the safer error — a longer code is more specific, and specificity is what the classification is for.
The rate follows the code, not the other way around. It is worth resisting the temptation to pick the code whose rate you would prefer; that decision is visible in every return you file afterwards.
Why this is worth getting right once
Classification is a one-time decision per item and a recurring cost if it is wrong. Once the code is on the item master, every invoice, every e-way bill and every return inherits it — correctly or incorrectly, thousands of times.
That is the argument for holding it in the item master rather than typing it per invoice. In a system where the item carries its own HSN and rate, the invoice cannot disagree with the master, and a correction made once is a correction made everywhere.
This is a starting point, not advice
The codes here are the ones that commonly apply to these goods, and common is not the same as certain. Classification turns on the specific composition, use and form of what you are supplying, and two items with the same everyday name can sit under different headings.
Use this to narrow the search, then confirm against the official schedule or with your tax advisor before it goes on the item master. Nobody at the department is interested in where the number came from.
Questions people ask.
What is an HSN code?
A standardised number that identifies what a product is. It determines the GST rate, must appear on the tax invoice, and has to match what your customer claims input credit against.
How many digits do I need to show?
It depends on turnover — smaller businesses may quote four digits, larger ones six or eight. When in doubt, quoting more digits is the safer error, because a longer code is more specific.
What happens if the HSN code is wrong?
Most often the customer sends the invoice back, because their input credit is claimed against the code you wrote. It can also mean the wrong rate was charged, which is a correction across every return the item appeared in.
Is the rate shown here final?
No. These are the rates that commonly apply to these goods. Classification turns on the exact composition and use of what you supply, so confirm against the official schedule or with your advisor before putting it on the item master.
Where should the HSN code live?
On the item master, not on the invoice. Then every invoice, e-way bill and return inherits it automatically and a correction made once is a correction made everywhere.
Other free tools
Doing this for every item, every day?
A calculator is the right tool once. When it is every item in the store, it belongs in the system that already knows the numbers.